scope:

The recommendations set forth in this document are intended to be used by individuals involved in the following:

• Analyzing and presenting antimicrobial susceptibility test data (eg, clinical microbiologists, pharmacists, physicians) 
• Using cumulative antimicrobial susceptibility test data to make clinical decisions and/or participate in antibiotic stewardship programs (ASPs) (eg, clinical microbiologists, infectious disease specialists and other clinicians, infection control practitioners, pharmacists, epidemiologists, other health care personnel, and public health officials) 
• Designing information systems for the storage and analysis of antimicrobial susceptibility test data (eg, LIS vendors, manufacturers of diagnostic products that include epidemiology analysis software, and manufacturers of epidemiology analysis or surveillance software)

The cumulative antimicrobial susceptibility report generated, according to recommendations presented in this guideline, may not reveal some trends in emerging resistance, and thus cannot substitute for the careful analysis of all susceptibility data derived from examining and/or analyzing all antimicrobial susceptibility test results for individual patient management. For reports intended for other purposes (eg, emergence of resistance during therapy, empirical therapy of subsequent infections), other inclusion criteria may be appropriate.